Change
by Dp-Marvel94
Summary: For Ecotober, Week 4 What if the evil alternative Danny in The Ultimate Enemy had a tiny bit of humanity left? Would it be enough to change his past? To change himself? To change reality?


For Ecotober, Week 4

What if the evil alternative Danny in The Ultimate Enemy had a tiny bit of humanity left? Would it be enough to change his past? To change himself? To change reality?

Note: I actually really don't like calling the evil Danny from the future Dan (with a few exceptions) so he is called Phantom in this story. Also I used several lines of dialogue from the episode here but did rewrite others to better match my style and the alterations I wanted to make to the story.

The Phantom did not change. And time, time could definitely not change. Well not that it couldn't but Phantom would not let it. Hence why when Clockwork meddled again, sending his past self and his friends into the future, Phantom intervened. He fused the time medallion inside his past self's chest, trapping him in the future. He then used another medallion to transport himself into the past. But he failed to notice that time medallions do not work like that. He was playing right into Clockwork's hand.

When he arrived in his past near the abandoned Nasty Burger, a few minutes passed until Sam and Tucker found him. In one of the windows, he studied the face he was wearing. Black hair, icy blue eyes, pale skin, scattering of freckles, checks round with baby fat.

He growled,quietly. "I look like a child." His voice high pitched with a slight crack but yet to fall. He sounded like a child too. He sneered. He hated this form. It was too small, too thin, too weak. And his voice always reverted when he used it. It actually took effort to sound like himself! He had used it several times during his early years, after his ... transformation, to taunt Valerie with the reminder of their previous relationship and what she had lost. But as she aged and Phantom learned that he could not also age this form, he stopped using it.

But it was necessary now, to secure his future. Because he had to cheat on the CAT, the Nasty Burger had to explode, and his family had to die, leading to him shedding his weak human self and becoming the powerful full ghost he was now. So he would use this form as a cover. He would hang out with Sam and Tucker, go home, and take the test. He would just act 'normal' like his past self would. Yes, this was tedious, a waste of time and beneath him. But it would ensure his future remained unchanged, that he still existed. And then he would return to his future and finish his work: making the pain go away at a global level. No one would be in pain if they died or faded. They would either go on to whatever afterlife existed or just cease to exist. But anyway, the pain would end. The Phantom would be left the only survivor, and maybe, just maybe finishing his work would satisfy his obsession, allowing him to fade as well.

The ghost was distracted from his thoughts by the arrival of Sam and Tucker. They greeted him happily, with a hug. It was...strange being touched like that after so long. Not violently but affectionately. It was unsettling, after not having friendly contact with anyone for ten years. Part of him wanted to growl and pull away; he was above human contact and stupid human gestures. But at the same time, the gesture triggered something in his chest.

Before he could think about it, Tucker asked. "Did you beat that evil jerky alternative version of yourself?"

His eye briefly flashed red, then return to blue. With a short laugh, he responded. "Always with the quips. In my weaker moments I sometimes miss your droll sense of humor."

Tucker and Sam both furrowed their eyebrows in startled frowned, uncertainly. "I'm sorry?"

The disguised Phantom quickly dropped the scowl, realizing he messed up. He grinned, jokingly. "I'm just kidding! I beat my other self quite easily. Had you guys going there for a second, didn't I?"

Sam and Tucker still studied him uncertainty but relaxed once he reassured them that he had already made sure the Nasty Burger wouldn't blow up and offered to hang out with them. Of course, the morons fell for it. But though he mentally sneered at the idea of wasting the afternoon with his former friends, Phantom knew he needed to at least appear to enjoy it. He needed to be more authentic. He couldn't get caught now. Not that it would stop him, just make things more messy. The three headed to Sam's house for an afternoon of video games and junk food.

"Danny."

Phantom furiously pressed different buttons but the controller didn't seem to respond.

"Danny."

Why wasn't this working?! His avatar on the scene still wouldn't respond. How was he supposed to convincingly act like his past self if he couldn't figure out how the controls worked?

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker both shouted.

The disguised ghost wiped his head to the same, facing them. They'd been calling his name, well not him name, as least not anymore. He didn't really worry about names, not since he'd become a full ghost. Valerie only ever called him Phantom, like the other ghosts did. And anyone else who knew who he had been was dead (or Vlad he added with disgust). He frowned at that thought.

"What?" He demanded, finally turning towards Sam and Tucker.

Tucker pointed. "Your controller isn't turned on."

The ghost looked at the controller and Tucker was correct. The light to indicate if the device was on was unlit. Phantom pursed his lips, pressing the button, but then smiled at Tucker and Sam sheepishly (that's how his past self would have responded, right?). "I guess I'm distracted right now."

Sam focused on him, slight worry in her eyes. "The whole thing with your future self?" He nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

His eyes widened but then he crossed his arms. "No."

"Are you sure?" Tucker asked softly.

"No, I don't. There's nothing to worry about." He made a show of being grumpy. He needed to change the subject and could not have them thinking about that.

Sam raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Really."

"Yes!" He snapped. Then he took a calming breath. "I can handle it. You don't have to worry. Everything will be okay." If by okay, he means his friends and family will be dead. But they in fact wouldn't have to worry anymore. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can we just play some videos games?"

The other two shrugged and started setting up the game.

Phantom hated it at first (stupid, boring, useless, no screams or blood, so normal and …..human). But he needed to do this- one last hoorah before his work could finish. So he threw himself into the role.

A couple hours of video games later, the three ordered pizzas. Phantom picked at his own piece, taking a tentative bite. The flavors of the cheese, sauce, and pepperoni danced across his tongue. He barely noticed when he gave a subtly smile in response. The taste was pleasant and it had been a long time since he ate. Meanwhile Sam and Tucker fell into their normal meat versus veggies argument.

"Seriously, Tucker? There's at least a whole pig on that pizza."

"So what? At least mine tastes good."

"Hey! This pizza is delicious! Vegan cheese, garlic, three types of mushrooms. And this pesto sauce! It's much better than your grease covered nightmare."

Phantom watched. It was a little amusing. He might even miss it, when he went back to his time. But it's not like he could do anything to save them, they had to die.

The argument escalated into Sam chasing Tucker around the room with a mushroom, trying to convince him to eat it.

"Come on Tucker! It's just a mushroom!"

"Get that disgusting fungus away from me!" Tucker ran away and the disguised Phantom smiled at the interaction.

"It's not that bad. It's really good! I promise." She shoved the mushroom in his face.

Tucker backed away from her, falling over the couch. Sam also feel beside him and the mushroom feel out of her hand and in his mouth. His nose wrinkled in disgust until he actually tasted the piece of food. His eyes lit up. "This...is actually not that bad."

Sam started laughing, followed by Tucker. Then despite himself, laughter bubbled from the disguised ghost's mouth. He grinned with the others, soon doubling over in laughter. His eyes watered with mirth. Then the ghost froze, realizing what he was doing. Had...had he just been laughing authentically? Not maliciously or crazed. It hadn't been like when he destroyed a city, revelling in the destruction. That had been real and felt...good.

Just then he was startled out of those thoughts by Sam and Tucker who noticed his serious expression. "What's wrong?" Tucker asked.

He needed to get out of here, clear his head. "I...I need to go home." His voice sounded shakier than he wanted.

Sam's face feel. "Oh. Jazz did want to see you so I guess you do need to go."

The ghost stood up and transformed into the image of 14 year old Danny Phantom. He flew up and phased through the roof without a word. He heard, "See you tomorrow." from Sam before he left, not looking back.

He floated over the town, shaking his head furiously. He….he was Phantom the most powerful ghost to ever exist. He didn't have weak human emotions. He'd ripped that part of him out years ago. .Gone, never to return. He didn't feel things like sadness, regret, or even happiness. He just let himself get too comfortable with the role he was playing, that was it. That hadn't been a real emotion, it couldn't have been. He would just have to be more careful from now on.

When Phantom arrived at Fentonworks, he phased up through the floor of his old room. He looked around distastefully. "My old room." He hadn't been here for ten years and had hoped he would never see it again. His eyes fixed on his mirror, on the stupid human face staring back. "And my old face." He said hatefully.

He heard the door open behind him. Jazz entered, her eyes narrowed. "Danny? We need to talk."

"And my old sister, Jazz." He turned towards her, voice tinged with annoyance. "What do you want, Jazz? I'm busy."

Jazz walked forwards, holding his book bag. "Yeah, busy cheating!" Pulling the CAT answer sheet out of the bag, she continued. "Lancer was right, you did steal the answers! Don't you understand?"

"That I'll be destroying my future?" He pursed his lips, knowingly. "You don't know the half of it." He roughly grabbed the bag and packet from Jazz.

"Danny, I know all of it." Her shoulders droop as Phantomshoved the packet in his bag_._ "About everything. That you're part ghost."She picks up the Booomerang, pointing at him earnestly. "That you're always doing the right thing with your powers. Until now."

The disguised ghost's mouth fell open slightly as he felt an undeniable surge of shock. "You knew?"

"I know." Jazz corrected pointedly. "And I've been covering for you with Mom and Dad because I'm proud of you, and the good that you do." The earnestness in her voice was replaced by disappointed anger. "But not anymore."

"You always were smarter than I gave you credit for." The ghost replied darkly, despite the still remaining shock. Deciding to reveal his true ghost form and hopefully scare her away from interfering, he transformed. The sudden change in height was jarring but the ghost continued in stride. If fact the change seemed to increase his malevolent smugness, as he stood intimidatingly over Jazz.

Her eyes widened in fear. "You're- you're not Danny!" She backed up and dropped the Booomerang, eyes still fixed on him as she realized. "That's why the Boomerang wasn't homing in on your ectosignature! You're not Danny!"

"I was. But I grew out of it." A tinge of annoyance passed through him at the thought of who he had once been. He continued menacingly. "The Danny you know is floating helplessly in the Ghost Zone ten years in the future."

"He'll escape. He'll beat you!" She pointed accusingly, clearly trying to cover her fear with confidence.

He bristled at her false bravado. As if his past self had a chance. "How? How's he supposed to escape? The Fenton Portal? I destroyed it. The only remaining portal? The one my idiot cheesehead archenemy has? As soon as I find that one, I'll destroy it too." He riffed confidently.

"Cheesehead? Vlad Masters?! He's your arch-enemy?" Her voice raised in disbelief, while the malicious ghost ignored her.

"And _you_?" He spit out the last word distastefully. "You can't stop me from cheating on the C.A.T. and solidifying my future."

Sneering at the end, he shot Jazz with an ectoblast, freezing her in place. With a shove, he released her and she collapsed, unconscious. Still glowering, he looked down on her. That had been close. He had hoped no one would interfere and hated revealing himself to her but needed to make sure she didn't try and stop him. With the strength of his blast, she should be out until the next morning and therefore unable to tell their parents or stop him some other way.

Hearing the sound of his parent's voices downstairs, Phantom realized he needed to move Jazz so they wouldn't be suspicious. The ghost bent over and hoisted her over his shoulder. Turning them both invisible, he silently padded out of the room. He phased through the closed door of her bedroom, raising his eyebrows at the familiar room. He gently placed her on the bed, even tucking her in. He glanced at the clock, 9 pm, still a little earlier for her to go to bed but knowing their parents, they would not bat an eye, if they even noticed. And hopefully when Jazz woke up in the morning, she would think this had been a dream. Even if she didn't, it would be too late for her to do anything, inconsequential as her actions may be.

Glancing back at the door, Phantom transformed back into the image of his younger human self; it would be just his luck if Mom and Dad burst in. He huffed as the rings passed over him, feeling his body constrict and shrink. Suddenly losing two feet in height was unsettling and unpleasant. Once the change passed, he frowned, gently moving Jazz's limbs so she more convincingly looked like she was sleeping. His hand brushed her hair as he arranged her head onto the pillow. Her deep steady breathe tickled his arm as it passed. Something stirred in his chest.

This...this was his sister. His sister who apparently had known about him being Phantom and she had been proud. She had even helped him behind the scenes, covering for him with their parents. And he'd never known, never suspected before. Then again, he had been a stupid teenager then, too blind to see anything really. And so his sister had died without ever telling him that she knew his secret and was proud.

BUT….but she was here, right now, in front of him. Alive and breathing, her heart beating. He brushed her hair out of her face again, expression softening as he watched her chest rise and fall. Just then the impossible reality of the situation really hit him for the first time. He was in the past, 10 years in his past, before he cheated on that stupid CAT, before his family died, before he became a full ghost. His friends and family were still alive. He had spent the afternoon with Sam and Tucker. His parents were downstairs in the lab. And his sister was right in front of him. He pulled his hand away, slightly shaking. But all of them would be dead within 24 hours.

Just then a quiet thought brushed across his mind. _They don't have to die._ Startlingly the voice wasn't his natural baritone. It was higher and cracking, a voice just beginning to drop. It sounded like his human 14 year old self. _We can save them. We can change this._

His hand trembled as undefinable sadness, an emotion that should be gone, that was snuffed out with his human self, welled in his chest.

"No" He whispered the word, voice quivering, though he doesn't know what he was saying no too. Clenching his shaking fists, he transformed into his true form and fled.

The full ghost sat on a hill outside of town, looking at the still standing Amity Park. After transforming, he had flown away from everything. Trying to get some space to clear his mind of those...emotions. He growled. He was a full ghost. He was not supposed to have emotions. He had viciously destroyed that part of himself, erasing that weakness.

He put his head in his hands. But he was just in denial, wasn't he? His emotions hadn't really been erased, just pushed down. But they came back, again and again. He stuffed them down each time. But they had been really strong this time. And then he remembered the other reason he hated being in that mock human form. Taking the image of his human self always brought those feelings to the surface and each time he fought to bring them down. That's the real reason he had stopped appearing like that to Valerie. It brought feeling up for both her and him. It wasn't worth it.

Picking up his head and picking at his gloves, the ghost bit his lip, his fangs digging into the ectoplasmic flesh. Not only that, being in that form brought up other elements of his humanity: his morals and guilt. That's why he couldn't afford to use it often; it could destroy his resolve.

And he was positive he knew why now. For a while he'd suspected he wasn't really a full ghost. Between his ability to completely accurately transform into the image of his younger self and the fact that he had aged slowly like a human would after his 'death,' he knew he wasn't normal for a ghost. He hadn't exactly died in the conventional way either and that tiny scrap of his humanity lived on inside of him. And that part, those emotions, fought to gain influence over him.

He thought back to the words he'd thought earlier, 'we can save them, we can change this' and the image of his sleeping sister. What if that was true? What if he could change this so his family doesn't die, his future doesn't exist? A tiny part of him wanted to grab that thought and make it grow, make it bloom into hope and act on it. Maybe...he could do it.

But what would happen to him, to his future then? Would he just cease to exist? Or would he just create a new future and get stuck outside his time, a man looking in? Would he only be saving every one for another version of himself, only to be cast away after?

He balled his fists. That was too much of a risk. Besides, even if he didn't get wiped from existence, that was no way to continue. He would have nothing. His friends and family would not be his. They would belong to another version of him. Phantom growled. It wasn't fair! No one had come to save his loved ones when he watched them die. No one had prevented his future and all the pain he suffered. And why should he save them here and now? Why should another version of him get to be happy when he was not and would never be?! No matter what he did things would never really change.

Anger igniting, he shoot an ectoblast at a tree. With a crack, it split and fell. But the destruction was not satisfying in the least. He huffed again, shaking his head but he had made up his mind. He would go on with his plan. If he had had to watch his family die, then so would this version of himself. The past could not change, it would not. He would make sure of it.


End file.
